expecting 2nd child

No epidural

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KFriehauf wrote:

Hi,

Has anyone delivered vaginally without an epidural? How was your delivery? How bad was the pain? I think I could have delivered my first without one and that's what I'm aiming for this time but my doctor said delivering the head is what hurts the most and my baby's head is already measuring 2 weeks ahead and my 1st's head always measured in the 90th percentile so I'm worried about that. My contractions never hurt just uncomfortable so I would like to push through delivery without an epidural.

Hi @KFriehauf! I did! I delivered my (now 2.5 year old) son, who had a head in the 100th percentile, with no drugs at all. It was painful yes, but nothing you can't do. It was my first delivery so I have nothing to compare it to (as far as head size is concerned) but I only pushed for about 10 minutes. For me, the most painful part was when he transitioned down into my pelvic area compared to that... the pushing wasn't that bad. Hope this helps.

I'm 6.5 months pregnant with my 2nd and plan on doing another unmediated birth. Best decision of my life.

Hi K, my daughter's head was 35cm- what percentile that is I'm not sure- and 9lbs 4oz. She arrived with no epidural but I did have an episiotomy which I could not feel being done. I'm sure if you didn't need an episiotomy first time you will be ok second time. I was pushing for a long time, they were getting to be pretty worried except that the baby's heartbeat was fine. It was painful, there really is no getting away from that. But I wouldn't say it was unbearable, it must not have been- I'm doing it again in July! Best of luck.

my daughter was 6.5lbs, not sure about her head size.. but still any baby coming out of you is going to hurt.. but you CAN do it unmedicated. I had a fairly quick labor, about 4 hours of contractions (the last hour more painful than the pushing), then pushed for about 15 minutes. I plan to have my next with no epidural as well.

I asked for epidural when it was too late )) at first contractions were not even painful but as I said once i felt pain and asked for epidural it never worked )) I felt everything and should say with my second one I will not ask for epidural. At least I am not planning to.

My son (first pregnancy) progressed too quickly for me to receive an epidural. I'm not going to lie it was horribly painful (his head was in the 90 percentile), but it was quick and once his head got through it was a like a pop and he was out and the pain was immediately gone! My recovery was quick and smooth-I plan to try the same with this one!

I delivered naturally with my first child who was 7 lbs almost not big but I am 102lbs and very small myself. Our body is made for delivering baby.. go with the flow try your best ;) it's actually way less painful once you start pushing ... ;) you can do it!

I did it too! I had a 7lb baby with an 8lb baby sized head she said. The contractions, I feel, are the worst part. By the time I go to my birthing center I was 7cm and had all the worst stuff at home and on the way. A nurse pushed my hips when the contractions came and helped relieve the pain. But like the other ladies have said by the time the pushing starts it gets easier and all is forgotten, in that moment

I had an epidural bc the pain was too much for me! You will be the one to give the best judgement. When it came time for me to push, the epidural did ware off and there was pain but I was too concerned about pushing and getting the oxygen mask on and off that it didn't phase me!

I was induced and in labor for 16 hours, no epidural. I thought about it but I just kept telling myself it would be at least a half hour until it was in and the pain was away and then I still had the risk of it not working. When I was about 9 hours into I had trouble relaxing in between contractions and

Did take a dose of stadol which already helped relax me even though I still felt the pain. It let me get rest in between to save my energy. I did that again 3 hours later. Although the contractions were intense in the end I thought the were worse then it pushing. Pushing felt like my only way to relieve the contraction pain and I know it was uncomfortable by I was so focused on being so close to the end the epidural never crossed my mind then.

I gave birth without an epidural. It's painful but not unbearable & you feel like a total bad ass/superwoman afterward. :-) Seriously, the euphoric feeling of defeating labor unmedicated is amazing! Read about relaxation techniques & hire a doula! A doula can really help you manage the contractions naturally. Also, I HIGHLY recommend the book "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth."! It will really set your mind at ease & has lots of birth stories & helpful tips.

I did it and the best decision was to hire a doula or birth coach. She really helped me get thru it mentally and recommended various positions to move the baby down. She also did a great job coaching my deer in the headlights husband. It's definitely worth the time and money if you are going for a natural birth!!!

I did it too! Not so sure of her head measurement but after 20 hours of contractions I was so ready to push!! I hired a doula and used HypnoBirthing as my relaxation technique. For me the most painful part was the stitches, ouch!! You can do it, just be prepared :)

I gave birth without getting an epidural. I am so thankful I didn't! The benefits out way the comfort that epidurals provide. Your body kind of goes into a trans. I would say it was almost an out of body experience. Your body knows how to handle the pain.

I had the same sort of out of body experience! Pushing was actually relieving for me, and I didn't think twice about any pain. I don't plan on having an epidural with this one, because the first time went so well!

I did it. By the time you get into the pushing phase all the pain just kind of blends together. I agree with previous posters. A) you do feel like a super hero badass and all the nurses think you are too, everyone wanted to be in my room to cheer me on it was amazingly powerful, they called me the rockstar of the maternity ward. B) I did kind of feel like it was an out of body experience, when I look back I feel like I can see what I went through. C) I think a doula or at least some pain management classes would be a good idea. I had very minimal just planned to go in and to my best, I made it through but my body was so sore for the next few days because I just tensed up during contractions.

I did it with my first and plan to do it with my second . Because I've had the experience of having some terrible menstrual cramps and I have a high pain tolerance I think it helped . But besides that I believe it's totally doable . Overall just you have to have support and/or a positive mindset . Don't consider the pain, as weird as it sounds, because that's what scared me and almost had me give in to the epidural (though it was already too late by then ). I also arrived to the hospital 8-9cm water bulging so I couldn't get any other form of pain medication .

I delivered my son with no epidural and hope to do it again with the next! The worst part for me was contractions. Pushing was of course tons of pressure but a huge relief compared to the contractions. I had an extremely small tear on the outside but I couldn't really tell that was happening while pushing, maybe because it was so small? The pain was gone as soon as he was out though and I was up and walking as soon as they moved me to my own room with baby. Afterwards I felt so proud of myself & even thinking back now I get a overwhelming feeling of joy that I did it all on my own! I can't wait to experience that again with our current baby.

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